"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
In the middle of a gun fight
In the center of a restaurant
They say, come with your arms raised high
Well, they're never gonna get me,
And like a bullet through a flock of doves
To wage this war against your faith in me
Your life, will never be the same
On your mother's eyes, say a prayer say a prayer
Now, but I can't
And I don't know
How we're just two men as God had made us
Well, I can't, well, I can
Too much, too late, or just not enough of this
Pain in my heart for your dying wish
I'll kiss your lips again
They all cheat at cards and the checkers are lost
My cellmate's a killer, they made me do push-ups (in drag)
But nobody cares if you're losing yourself am I losing myself
Well, I miss my mom
Will they give me the chair
Or lethal injection, or swing from a rope if you dare
Ah, nobody knows all the trouble I've seen
Now, but I can't
And I don't know
How we're just two men as God had made us
Well, I can't, well, I can
Too much, too late, or just not enough of this
Pain in my heart for your dying wish
I'll kiss your lips again
To your room
What they ask of you
Will make you want to say, so long
Well, I don't remember
Why remember you
Do you have the keys to the hotel
'Cause I'm gonna string this motherfucker on fire (fire)
Life is but a dream for the dead
And well I, I won't go down by myself
But I'll go down with my friends
Now now now now, now now now, now now now, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
In the center of a restaurant
They say, come with your arms raised high
Well, they're never gonna get me,
And like a bullet through a flock of doves
To wage this war against your faith in me
Your life, will never be the same
On your mother's eyes, say a prayer say a prayer
Now, but I can't
And I don't know
How we're just two men as God had made us
Well, I can't, well, I can
Too much, too late, or just not enough of this
Pain in my heart for your dying wish
I'll kiss your lips again
They all cheat at cards and the checkers are lost
My cellmate's a killer, they made me do push-ups (in drag)
But nobody cares if you're losing yourself am I losing myself
Well, I miss my mom
Will they give me the chair
Or lethal injection, or swing from a rope if you dare
Ah, nobody knows all the trouble I've seen
Now, but I can't
And I don't know
How we're just two men as God had made us
Well, I can't, well, I can
Too much, too late, or just not enough of this
Pain in my heart for your dying wish
I'll kiss your lips again
To your room
What they ask of you
Will make you want to say, so long
Well, I don't remember
Why remember you
Do you have the keys to the hotel
'Cause I'm gonna string this motherfucker on fire (fire)
Life is but a dream for the dead
And well I, I won't go down by myself
But I'll go down with my friends
Now now now now, now now now, now now now, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Lyrics submitted by Mike NJSS, edited by suus105904, SmashingDestiny
You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison Lyrics as written by Gerard Way Frank Iero
Lyrics © BLOW THE DOORS OFF CHICAGO
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